Mark 4-12

Expanded Bible

A Story About Planting Seed^(A)

4 Again Jesus began teaching by the lake [^Cthe Sea of Galilee]. A great crowd gathered around him, so he sat down in a boat near the shore. All the people stayed on the shore close to the water. ² Jesus taught them many things, using ·stories [parables; see 3:23]. He said, ³ “Listen! A ·farmer [sower] went out to ·plant [sow] his seed. ⁴ While he was ·planting [sowing], some seed fell ·by the road [along the path], and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some seed fell on rocky ground where there wasn’t much dirt. That seed ·grew [sprang up] very fast, because the ground was not deep. ⁶ But when the sun rose, the plants ·dried up [were scorched and withered] because they did not have deep roots. ⁷ Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants. So those plants did not produce ·a crop [grain]. ⁸ Some other seed fell on good ground and began to grow. It got taller and produced ·a crop [grain]. Some plants made thirty times more, some made sixty times more, and some made a hundred times more.”

⁹ Then Jesus said, ·“Let those with ears use them and listen!” [^L“Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”]

Jesus Tells Why He Used Stories^(B)

¹⁰ Later, when Jesus was alone, the twelve apostles and others around him asked him about the ·stories [parables; see 3:23].

¹¹ Jesus said, “·You can know [To you has been given] the secret about the kingdom of God. But to ·other people [outsiders] I tell everything by using ·stories [parables] ¹² so that:

Jesus Explains the Seed Story^(C)

¹³ Then Jesus said to ·his followers [^Lthem], “Don’t you understand this ·story [parable]? If you don’t, how will you understand any ·story [parable; see 3:23]? ¹⁴ ·The farmer plants God’s message in people [^LThe sower sows the word]. ¹⁵ Sometimes the ·teaching [word; message] falls ·on the road [along the path]. This is like the people who hear the ·teaching of God [word; message], but Satan quickly comes and takes away the ·teaching [word; message] that was ·planted [sown] in them. ¹⁶ Others are like the seed ·planted [sown] on rocky ground. They hear the ·teaching [word; message] and quickly accept it with joy. ¹⁷ ·But since they don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives [^LBut since they have no root in themselves], they keep it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the ·teaching they accepted [word; message], they quickly ·give up [fall away; stumble]. ¹⁸ Others are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the ·teaching [word; message], ¹⁹ but the worries of this ·life [world; age], the ·temptation [deceitfulness; seduction] of wealth, and ·many other evil desires [desires for other things] ·keep the teaching from growing and producing fruit in their lives [^Lcome in and choke the word, making it unfruitful]. ²⁰ Others are like the seed ·planted [sown] in the good ground. They hear the ·teaching [word; message] and accept it. Then they grow and produce ·fruit [a crop]—sometimes thirty times more, sometimes sixty times more, and sometimes a hundred times more.”

Use What You Have^(D)

²¹ Then Jesus said to them, “Do you hide a lamp under a ·bowl [basket] or under a bed? No! You put the lamp on a lampstand. ²² [For] Everything that is hidden will be ·made clear [revealed; disclosed] and every ·secret [concealed] thing will be ·made known [brought to light/into the open]. ²³ ·Let those with ears use them and listen! [^L“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”]

²⁴ [And he said to them,] “·Think carefully about [Pay attention to] what you hear. ·The way you give to others is the way God will give to you [or The standard you use to judge others will be the standard used for you; ^LWith the measure you measure, it will be measured to you], ·but God will give you even more [and even more will be added to you]. ²⁵ Those who ·have understanding [^Lhave] will be given more. But those who do not ·have understanding [^Lhave], even what they have will be taken away from them. [^CThe Greek does not say what they have; but the context suggests spiritual understanding to comprehend the mysteries of the kingdom (v. 11).]

Jesus Tells a Story About Seed

²⁶ Then Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like someone who ·plants seed in [scatters seed on] the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether the person is asleep or awake, the seed still [sprouts and] grows, but the person does not know how it grows. ²⁸ By itself the earth produces grain. First the ·plant [blade; stalk] grows, then the head, and then ·all the [the ripe] grain in the head. ²⁹ When the grain is ready, the farmer cuts it [with a sickle], because this is the harvest time.”

A Story About Mustard Seed^(E)

³⁰ Then Jesus said, “How can I show you what the kingdom of God is like? What ·story [parable; see 3:23] can I use to explain it? ³¹ The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, the smallest seed you plant in the ground. [^CThe mustard seed was the smallest seed known to Jesus’ hearers.] ³² But when planted, this seed grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants. It produces large branches, and the wild birds can make nests in its shade.”

³³ Jesus used many ·stories [parables] like these to teach the crowd God’s ·message [word]—as much as they could ·understand [hear]. ³⁴ He always used ·stories [parables] to teach them. But when he and his ·followers [disciples] were alone, Jesus explained everything to them.

Jesus Calms a Storm^(F)

³⁵ That evening, Jesus said to ·his followers [^Lthem], “Let’s go across the lake.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him in the boat just as he was [^Cmeaning he was already in the boat; 4:1]. There were also other boats with them. ³⁷ A very strong wind came up on the lake. The waves came over the sides and into the boat so that it was ·already full of water [nearly swamped]. ³⁸ Jesus was at the ·back of the boat [stern], sleeping on a cushion. ·His followers [^LThey] woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are ·drowning [perishing]?”

³⁹ Jesus stood up and ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the wind and said to the ·waves [sea], “·Quiet! [^TPeace!] Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and it became completely calm. [^CThis parallels God’s subduing of the waters representing chaos in the OT; Ps. 65:7; 89:9; 107:29.]

⁴⁰ Jesus said to ·his followers [^Lthem], “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were ·very afraid [terrified; filled with awe] and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the ·waves [sea] obey him!”

A Man with Demons Inside Him^(G)

5 ·Jesus and his followers [^LThey] went to the other side of the lake to the ·area [land; region] of the ·Gerasene^[a] people [^CGerasa was southeast of Lake Galilee; the exact location is uncertain]. ² When Jesus got out of the boat, immediately a man with an ·evil [defiling; ^Lunclean] spirit came to him from the ·burial caves [tombs; cemetery]. ³ This man lived in the ·caves [tombs], and no one could tie him up [any more], not even with a chain. ⁴ [For] Many times people had used [shackles and] chains to tie the man’s hands and feet, but he always ·broke them off [tore apart the chains and smashed the shackles]. No one was strong enough to ·control [subdue] him. ⁵ Day and night he would wander around the ·burial caves [tombs] and on the hills, screaming and ·cutting [bruising] himself with stones. ⁶ While Jesus was still far away, the man saw him, ran to him, and ·fell [bowed] down before him.

⁷ The man shouted in a loud voice, “·What do you want with me [Let me alone; What business do we have with each other; ^LWhat to me and to you; see 1:24], Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I ·command [beg; implore; swear to] you in God’s name not to ·torture [torment] me!” ⁸ He said this because Jesus was saying to him, “You ·evil [defiling; ^Lunclean] spirit, come out of the man.”

⁹ Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

He answered, “My name is Legion [^Ca legion was about 5,000 soldiers in the Roman army], because we are many spirits.” ¹⁰ He begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of that ·area [land; region].

¹¹ A large herd of pigs was feeding on a hill near there. ¹² The demons begged Jesus, “Send us into the pigs; let us go into them.” ¹³ So Jesus allowed them to do this. The ·evil [defiling; ^Lunclean] spirits left the man and went into the pigs. Then the herd of pigs—about two thousand of them—rushed down the ·hill [steep bank; precipice] into the lake and were drowned.

¹⁴ The herdsmen ran away and went to the town and to the countryside, telling everyone about this. So people went out to see what had happened. ¹⁵ They came to Jesus and saw the man who used to have ·the many evil spirits [^Lthe “legion”], sitting, clothed, and in his right mind. And they were frightened. ¹⁶ The people who saw this told the others what had happened to the man who had ·the demons living in him [been demon-possessed], and they told about the pigs. ¹⁷ Then the people began to beg Jesus to leave their area.

¹⁸ As Jesus was getting back into the boat, the man who ·was freed from the demons [had been demon-possessed] begged to go with him.

¹⁹ But Jesus would not let him. He said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ So the man left and began to ·tell [proclaim/preach to] the people in the ·Ten Towns [or Decapolis; ^Ca league of ten cities east of Lake Galilee] about what Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman^(H)

²¹ When Jesus went in the boat back to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him there. ²² A leader of the synagogue, named Jairus, came there, saw Jesus, and ·fell [bowed; knelt] at his feet. ²³ He begged Jesus, ·saying again and again [earnestly saying], “My daughter is dying. Please come and ·put [lay] your hands on her so she will be healed and will live.” ²⁴ So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed Jesus and pushed very close around him. ²⁵ Among them was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years [^Cprobably a chronic menstrual disorder]. ²⁶ She had suffered very much from many doctors and had spent all the money she had, but instead of improving, she was getting worse. ²⁷ When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his ·coat [cloak; garment]. ²⁸ [^LFor] She ·thought [said], “If I can just touch his clothes, I will ·be healed [get well; be saved].” ²⁹ Instantly her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed from her disease.

³⁰ At once Jesus ·felt [perceived] power go out from him. So he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ His ·followers [disciples] said, “Look at how many people are pushing against you! And you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

³² But Jesus continued looking around to see who had touched him. ³³ The woman, knowing that she was healed, came and fell at Jesus’ feet. Shaking with fear, she told him the whole truth. ³⁴ Jesus said to her, “·Dear woman [^LDaughter], ·you are made well because you believed [your faith has saved/healed you]. Go in peace; be healed of your disease.”

³⁵ While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of the synagogue leader. They said, “Your daughter is dead. ·There is no need to bother the teacher anymore.” [^LWhy trouble the teacher anymore?”]

³⁶ But Jesus ·paid no attention to [or overheard] what they said. He told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

³⁷ Jesus let only Peter, James, and John the brother of James go with him. ³⁸ When they came to the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus found many people there making lots of noise and ·crying loudly [^Lweeping and wailing loudly]. ³⁹ Jesus entered the house and said to them, “Why are you ·crying [weeping] and making so much noise? The child is not dead, only asleep.” ⁴⁰ But they ·laughed at [ridiculed] him. So, after ·throwing [putting] them [^Lall] out of the house, Jesus took the child’s father and mother and his three followers into the room where the child was. ⁴¹ Taking hold of the girl’s hand, he said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (This means [^Cin Aramaic, the language Jesus commonly spoke], “Little girl, I tell you to stand up!”) ⁴² At once the girl stood right up and began walking. (She was twelve years old.) Everyone was completely amazed. ⁴³ Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell people about this. Then he told them to give the girl something to eat.

Jesus Goes to His Hometown^(I)

6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown [^CNazareth; Matt. 2:23; Luke 2:39], and his ·followers [disciples] went with him. ² On the Sabbath day he ·taught [^Lbegan to teach] in the synagogue. Many people heard him and were ·amazed [astonished], saying, “Where did this man get these ·teachings [^Lthings]? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? And where did he get the power to do ·miracles [^Lsuch mighty works done by his hands]? ³ ·He is just [^LIsn’t this…?] the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph [^CGreek: Joses], Judas, and Simon. ·And his sisters are [^LAre not his sisters…?] here with us.” So the people were ·upset with [offended by] Jesus.

⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is ·honored everywhere [not dishonored] except in his hometown and with his own ·people [relatives; kin] and in his own ·home [household].” ⁵ So Jesus was not able to work any miracles there except to heal a few sick people by ·putting [laying] his hands on them. ⁶ He ·was amazed [wondered; marveled] ·at how many people had no faith [because of their unbelief].

Jesus Commissions the Twelve Apostles^(J)

Then Jesus went [around] to other villages in that area and taught. ⁷ He called ·his twelve followers [^Lthe Twelve] together and ·got ready [began] to send them out two by two and gave them authority over ·evil [defiling; ^Lunclean] spirits. ⁸ This is what Jesus ·commanded [ordered; instructed] them: “Take nothing for your ·trip [journey; way] except a ·walking stick [staff]. Take no bread, no ·bag [traveler’s bag; or beggar’s purse], and no money in your ·pockets [money belts]. ⁹ Wear sandals, but ·take only the clothes you are wearing [do not wear/pack two tunics]. ¹⁰ When you enter a house, stay there until you leave ·that town [that area]. ¹¹ If the people in a certain place refuse to welcome you or listen to you, leave that place. Shake its dust off your feet [^Ca sign of rejection and coming judgment] as a ·warning to [testimony against] them.”^[b]

¹² So ·the followers [^Lthey] went out and preached that people should ·change their hearts and lives [turn from sin; repent]. ¹³ They ·forced [drove; cast] many demons out and ·put olive oil on [anointed with oil] many sick people and healed them.

How John the Baptist Was Killed^(K)

¹⁴ King Herod [^CAntipas; a son of Herod the Great; Luke 3:1] heard about Jesus, because he was now well known. Some people said,^[c] “He is John the Baptist, who has risen from the dead. That is why ·he can work these miracles [^Lmiraculous powers are at work in him].”

¹⁵ Others said, “He is Elijah [^Ca great OT prophet (1 Kin. 17), who was expected to return in the end times (Mal. 4:5)].”

Other people said, “Jesus is a prophet, like the prophets who lived long ago.”

¹⁶ When Herod heard this, he said, “I killed John by cutting off his head. Now he has risen from the dead!”

¹⁷ Herod himself had ·ordered [sent] his soldiers to arrest John and ·put [bound; chained] him in prison ·in order to please [^Lbecause of] his wife, Herodias. She had been the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother, but then Herod had married her. ¹⁸ John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to ·be married to [have] your brother’s wife.” ¹⁹ So Herodias ·hated [had a grudge against] John and wanted to kill him. But she couldn’t, ²⁰ because Herod was afraid of John and protected him. He knew John was a ·good [righteous] and holy man. Also, though John’s preaching always ·bothered [disturbed; puzzled; perplexed] him, he enjoyed listening to John.

²¹ Then the ·perfect [opportune] time came for Herodias to cause John’s death. On Herod’s birthday, he gave a ·dinner party [banquet] for ·the most important government leaders [his nobles/high officials], the commanders of his army, and ·the most important people [leaders] in Galilee. ²² When the daughter of Herodias^[d] came in and danced, she pleased Herod and the people eating with him.

So King Herod said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I will give it to you.” ²³ He ·promised [swore/vowed to] her, “Anything you ask for I will give to you—up to half of my kingdom.”

²⁴ The girl went [out] to her mother and asked, “What should I ask for?”

Her mother answered, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist.”

²⁵ At once the girl ·went back [hurried back in] to the king and said to him, “I want [you to give me] the head of John the Baptist right now on a platter.”

²⁶ Although the king was very ·sad [sorry; grieved; distressed], he had made a promise, and his dinner guests had heard it. So he did not want to refuse what she asked. ²⁷ Immediately the king sent ·a soldier [an executioner] to bring John’s head. The ·soldier [executioner] went and cut off John’s head in the prison ²⁸ and brought it back on a platter. He gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When John’s ·followers [disciples] heard this, they came and got John’s ·body [corpse] and put it in a tomb.

More than Five Thousand Fed^(L)

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him about all the things they had done and taught. ³¹ Crowds of people were coming and going so that Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] did not even have time to eat. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves, and we will go to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place to get some rest.”

³² So they went in a boat by themselves to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place. ³³ But many people saw them leave and recognized them. So from all the towns they ran to the place where Jesus was going, and they got there before him. ³⁴ When he ·arrived [landed; came ashore], he saw a great crowd waiting. He ·felt sorry [had compassion] for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.

³⁵ When it was late in the day, his ·followers [disciples] came to him and said, “·No one lives in this place [This is a remote/deserted place], and it is already very late. ³⁶ Send the people away so they can go to the countryside and towns around here to buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷ But Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, ·“We would all have to work a month to earn enough money to buy that much bread!” [^L“Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”]

³⁸ Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have? Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five loaves and two fish.”

³⁹ Then Jesus ·told [commanded; ordered] ·his followers [^Lthem] to have the people sit [recline; ^Cthe posture for a banquet or dinner party; 2:15] in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹ Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and, looking up to heaven, he ·thanked God for [blessed] the food. He ·divided [broke] the bread and gave it to his ·followers [disciples] for them to give to the people. Then he divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² All the people ate and were satisfied. ⁴³ ·The followers [^LThey] filled twelve baskets with the leftover pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ There were five thousand men who ate.

Jesus Walks on the Water^(M)

⁴⁵ Immediately Jesus ·told [compelled; made] his ·followers [disciples] to get into the boat and go ahead of him to Bethsaida [^Ca town on the northern shore of Lake Galilee, east of the Jordan River] across the lake. He stayed there to ·send the people home [dismiss the crowd]. ⁴⁶ After ·sending them away [saying goodbye], he went into the hills to pray.

⁴⁷ That night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ He saw his ·followers [disciples] struggling hard to row the boat, because the wind was blowing against them. ·Between three and six o’clock in the morning [^LAt about the fourth watch of the night], Jesus came to them, walking on the water, and he ·wanted [intended; was about] to ·walk past [pass by] the boat. ⁴⁹ But when they saw him walking on the ·water [lake; sea], they thought he was a ghost and cried out. ⁵⁰ They all saw him and were afraid. But ·quickly [immediately] Jesus spoke to them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ·became calm [ceased; stopped]. They were greatly amazed. ⁵² [For] They did not understand ·about the miracle of the five loaves [the significance of the loaves; ^Labout the loaves], because their ·minds were closed [hearts were hardened/stubborn/dull].

⁵³ When they had crossed the lake, they came to shore at Gennesaret [^Ceither the plain on the northwestern shore of the lake, or a town in that region] and tied the boat there. ⁵⁴ When they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵ They ran everywhere in that ·area [region] and began to bring sick people on ·mats [cots] wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶ And everywhere he went—into towns, cities, or countryside—the people brought the sick to the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch just the ·edge [fringe; tassels] of his coat, and all who touched it were healed.

The Things that Truly Please God^(N)

7 When some Pharisees and some ·teachers of the law [scribes] came from Jerusalem, they gathered around Jesus. ² They saw that some of Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] ate food with hands that were not clean, that is, they hadn’t [ceremonially] washed them. ³ ([For] The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat before washing their hands ·in the way required [^Lwith a fist; ^Cthe meaning of the idiom is uncertain; it could mean “with a handful of water,” “with cupped hand,” “up to the wrist” or something else] by ·their unwritten laws [^Lthe traditions of the elders]. ⁴ ·And when they buy something in the market, they never eat it [or, And when they come from the market (where they might have touched something “unclean”), they do not eat] until they wash themselves in a special way. They also ·follow [hold fast to; observe] many other ·unwritten laws [traditions], such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots.^[e])

⁵ The Pharisees and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] asked Jesus, “Why don’t your ·followers [disciples] ·obey [walk according to] the ·unwritten laws which have been handed down to us [traditions of the elders]? Why do they eat their food with hands that are ·not clean [defiled]?”

⁶ Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right when he ·spoke [prophesied] about you hypocrites. ·He wrote [As it is written],

⁸ You ·have stopped following [neglected; abandoned] the commands of God, and you ·follow [hold on to] only human ·teachings^[f] [traditions].”

⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “You ·cleverly ignore [are very good at ignoring/despising] the commands of God so you can follow your own ·teachings [tradition]. ¹⁰ [For] Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ [Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16], and ‘Anyone who ·says cruel things to [speaks evil of; curses] his father or mother must be put to death’ [Ex. 21:17; Lev. 20:9]. ¹¹ But you say a person can tell his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you, but it is Corban—a gift to God.’ [^CCorban is a Hebrew term meaning dedicated or set aside to God.] ¹² You no longer let that person ·use that money [do anything] for his father or his mother. ¹³ By your own ·rules [tradition], which you ·teach people [have handed down], you are ·rejecting [nullifying; canceling] what God said. And you do many things like that.”

¹⁴ After Jesus called the crowd to him again, he said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand what I am saying. ¹⁵ There is nothing people put into their bodies that ·makes them unclean [pollutes/defiles them]. [But rather] People are ·made unclean [polluted; defiled] by the things that come out of them. |¹⁶ ·Let those with ears use them and listen [see 4:23].|”^[g]

¹⁷ When Jesus left the ·people [crowd] and went into the house, his ·followers [disciples] asked him about this ·story [parable; see 3:23]. ¹⁸ Jesus said, “·Do you still not understand [Are you so dull]? ·Surely you know [^LDon’t you know…?] that nothing that enters someone from the outside can make that person ·unclean [polluted; defiled]. ¹⁹ [Because] It does not go into the ·mind [heart], but into the stomach. Then it goes ·out of the body [^Linto the sewer/latrine].” ·(When Jesus said this, he meant that no longer was any food unclean for people to eat.) [or, (In this way, Jesus cleansed all food.)]

²⁰ And Jesus said, “The things that come out of people are the things that make them ·unclean [defiled]. ²¹ ·All these evil things begin inside people, in the mind [^LFor from within, out of human hearts, come]: evil ·thoughts [intentions; ideas], sexual sins, stealing, murder, adultery, ²² greed, ·evil actions [wickedness], ·lying [deceit], ·doing sinful things [indecency; lust; lewdness], ·jealousy [envy; ^Levil eye], ·speaking evil of others [slander; blasphemy], pride, and foolish living. ²³ All these evil things come from inside and make people ·unclean [defiled].”

Jesus Helps a Gentile Woman^(O)

²⁴ Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre^[h] [^Ca Gentile city on the coast north of Israel]. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not stay hidden. ²⁵ A woman whose daughter had an ·evil [defiling; ^Lunclean] spirit in her heard that he was there. So she ·quickly [immediately] came to Jesus and ·fell [bowed] at his feet. ²⁶ She was ·Greek [a Gentile; ^C“Greek” is sometimes used for any non-Jew; Rom. 1:16], born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She ·begged [kept asking] Jesus to ·force [drive; cast] the demon out of her daughter.

²⁷ Jesus told the woman, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and ·give [throw] it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want.” [^C“Children” refers to Israel; “dogs” to the Gentiles.]

²⁸ But she answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table can eat the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ Then Jesus said, “Because of your answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.”

³⁰ The woman went home and found her daughter lying in bed; the demon was gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man^(P)

³¹ Then Jesus left the area around Tyre and went through Sidon to Lake Galilee [^Tthe Sea of Galilee], to the area of ·the Ten Towns [or Decapolis; ^Can area east of Lake Galilee that once had ten main towns; 5:20]. ³² While he was there, some people brought a man to him who was deaf and ·could not talk plainly [had a speech impediment]. The people begged Jesus to put his hand on the man to heal him.

³³ Jesus led the man away from the crowd, by himself. He put his fingers in the man’s ears and then spit and touched the man’s tongue. [^CThe use of saliva is mentioned in other ancient accounts of healing, and elsewhere in the Gospels; see 8:23; John 9:6.] ³⁴ Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to the man, “Ephphatha!” (This means [^Cin Aramaic], “Be opened.”) ³⁵ Instantly the man was able to hear and to use his tongue so that he spoke clearly.

³⁶ Jesus ·commanded [ordered; instructed] the people not to tell anyone about what happened. But the more he ·commanded [ordered; instructed] them, the more they ·told about [proclaimed] it. ³⁷ They were completely amazed and said, “Jesus does everything well. He makes the deaf hear! And ·those who can’t talk [the mute] he makes able to speak.”

More than Four Thousand People Fed^(Q)

8 ·Another time [About this time] there was ·a [another] great crowd with Jesus that had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his ·followers [disciples] and said, ² “I ·feel sorry [have compassion] for these people, because they have already been with me for three days, and they have nothing to eat. ³ If I send them home hungry, they will ·faint [collapse] on the way. Some of them ·live a long way from here [have come from far away].”

⁴ Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] answered, “·How [^LFrom where] can ·we [^Lanyone] get enough bread in this ·remote place [desolate place; desert] to feed them?”

⁵ Jesus asked, “How many loaves of bread do you have?”

They answered, “Seven.”

⁶ Jesus told the people to ·sit [recline] on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, and ·divided [broke] the bread. He gave the pieces to his ·followers [disciples] to give to the people, and they did so. ⁷ ·The followers [^LThey] also had a few small fish. After Jesus ·gave thanks for [blessed] the fish, he told his ·followers [disciples] to give them to the people also. ⁸ All the people ate and were satisfied. Then ·his followers [^Lthey] filled seven ·baskets [large baskets; ^Ca different word than in the feeding of the 5,000; 6:43] with the leftover pieces of food. ⁹ There were about four thousand people who ate. After they had eaten, Jesus ·sent them home [dismissed them]. ¹⁰ Then ·right away [immediately] he got into a boat with his ·followers [disciples] and went to the area of Dalmanutha. [^CThis place is unknown; it was probably on the western shore of Lake Galilee.]

The Leaders Ask for a Miracle^(R)

¹¹ The Pharisees came to Jesus and began to ·ask him questions [argue/dispute with him]. ·Hoping to trap [Trying to test] him, they asked Jesus for a ·miracle [sign] from ·God [^Lheaven; ^Cpossibly a sign in the sky, but more likely a Jewish way of saying “from God”]. ¹² Jesus ·sighed [groaned] deeply and said, “Why ·do you people [^Ldoes this generation] ask for a miracle as a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to ·you [this generation].” ¹³ Then Jesus left the Pharisees and went in the boat to the other side of the lake.

Guard Against Wrong Teachings^(S)

¹⁴ His ·followers [disciples] had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat; they had forgotten to bring more. ¹⁵ Jesus warned them, “·Be careful [Watch out]! Beware of the ·yeast [leaven] of the Pharisees and the ·yeast [leaven] of Herod [^Cyeast or leaven refers here to the dangerous permeating power of their influence].”

¹⁶ They discussed the meaning of this, saying, “He said this because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, “Why are you ·talking [discussing; arguing] about not having bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your ·minds closed [hearts hardened]? ¹⁸ ·You have eyes, but you don’t really see. You have ears, but you don’t really listen [Jer. 5:21; Ezek. 12:2]. ·Remember [^LDon’t you remember] when ¹⁹ I ·divided [broke] five loaves of bread for the five thousand? How many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?”

They answered, “Twelve.”

²⁰ “And when I ·divided [broke] seven loaves of bread for the four thousand, how many [large] baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?”

They answered, “Seven.”

²¹ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man

²² Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida [6:45]. There some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch the man. ²³ So Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man’s eyes [see 7:33] and ·put [laid] his hands on the man and asked, “Can you see [anything] now?”

²⁴ The man looked up and said, “Yes, I see people, but they look like trees walking around.”

²⁵ Again Jesus ·put [laid] his hands on the man’s eyes. Then the man ·opened his eyes wide [stared intently] and ·they were healed [his sight was restored], and he was able to see everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus told him to go home, saying, “Don’t go into the town.”^[i] [^CJesus wanted to avoid the publicity that the healing would produce.]

Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ^(T)

²⁷ Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi [^Ca city about 25 miles north of Lake Galilee]. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸ They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah [a great prophet (1 Kin. 17), who was expected to return in the end times (Mal. 4:5); see 6:15], and others say you are one of the prophets.”

²⁹ Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the ·Christ [Messiah].”

³⁰ Jesus [strongly] warned them not to tell anyone who he was.

³¹ Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man [Dan. 7:13–14] must suffer many things and that he would be rejected by the Jewish elders, the ·leading [^Tchief] priests, and the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. He told them that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from the dead after three days. ³² Jesus told them ·plainly [boldly; openly] what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to ·reprimand [rebuke] him. ³³ But Jesus turned and looked at his ·followers [disciples]. Then he ·reprimanded [rebuked] Peter. He said, “·Go away from me [^LGet behind me], Satan [^CJesus accuses Peter of doing Satan’s work by obstructing God’s plan]! You ·don’t care about [are not setting your mind on/thinking about] the things of God, but only ·about things people think are important [on/about human concerns].”

³⁴ Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his ·followers [disciples]. He said, “If ·people [^Lanyone wants] want to follow me, they must ·give up the things they want [deny themselves; set aside their own interests]. They must ·be willing even to give up their lives to [^Ltake up their cross and] follow me. ³⁵ Those who want to save their lives will ·give up true life [^Llose their life/soul; ^CGreek psychē can mean “life” or “soul,” producing this play on words]. But those who ·give up [lose; sacrifice] their lives for ·me [my sake] and for the ·Good News [Gospel] will ·have true life [save their lives/souls]. ³⁶ ·It is worthless [What good/profit/benefit is it…?] to ·have [gain] the whole world if they ·lose [forfeit] their souls. ³⁷ ·They could never pay enough [^LOr what could they give…?] ·to buy back [in exchange for] their souls. ³⁸ If people of this ·sinful and evil time [adulterous and sinful generation] are ashamed of me and my ·teaching [words; message], the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he ·comes [returns] with his Father’s glory and with the holy angels [Dan. 7:13–14].”

9 Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you the truth, some people standing here will not ·die [^Ltaste death] before they see the kingdom of God ·come [arrive] with power.” [^C“Seeing the kingdom of God” may refer to the Transfiguration that follows (9:1–8), Jesus’ resurrection, or the destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70.]

The Transfiguration on the Mountain^(U)

² Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John [^Land led them] up on a high mountain by themselves. ·While they watched [In their presence; In front of them], Jesus’ appearance was ·changed [transformed; ^Ttransfigured]. ³ His clothes became shining white, whiter than any ·person [launderer on earth] could ·make them [bleach them]. ⁴ Then Elijah and Moses appeared to them, talking with Jesus. [^CGod had given the Law through Moses, and Elijah was an important prophet (see 6:1); together they signify that Jesus fulfills the OT.]

⁵ Peter said to Jesus, “·Teacher [^LRabbi], it is good that we are here. Let us make three ·tents [shelters; shrines; tabernacles; Lev. 23:42]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [^CPerhaps Peter wanted to prolong their stay or to commemorate their visit.] ⁶ Peter did not know what to say, because he and the others were so frightened.

⁷ Then a cloud came and ·covered [overshadowed; Ex. 24:15] them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my ·Son, whom I love [dearly loved Son; Ps. 2:7; Gen. 22:2; Mark 1:11]. Listen to him [Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22]!”

⁸ Suddenly Peter, James, and John looked around, but they saw only Jesus there alone with them.

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ·commanded [instructed] them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

¹⁰ So they ·obeyed Jesus [kept this statement/matter to themselves], but they discussed what he meant about rising from the dead.

¹¹ Then they asked Jesus, “Why do the ·teachers of the law [scribes] say that Elijah must come first [Mal. 3:1; 4:5]?”

¹² Jesus answered, “·They are right to say that Elijah must come first and [^LElijah is indeed coming, and he will] ·make everything the way it should be [restore/prepare everything]. But why does the Scripture say that the Son of Man will suffer much and ·that people will treat him as if he were nothing [be despised; be treated with contempt; be rejected; Is. 52:13—53:12]? ¹³ [^LBut] I tell you that Elijah has already come. And ·people [^Lthey] did to him whatever they wanted to do, just as ·the Scriptures said it would happen [it is written about him].”

Jesus Heals a Sick Boy^(V)

¹⁴ When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came back to the other ·followers [disciples], they saw a great crowd around them and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] arguing with them. ¹⁵ But as soon as the crowd saw Jesus, the people were ·surprised [amazed] and ran to welcome him.

¹⁶ Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about?”

¹⁷ A man [in the crowd] answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has an evil spirit in him that ·stops him from talking [makes him mute]. ¹⁸ When the spirit attacks him, it throws him on the ground. Then my son foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes ·very stiff [rigid]. I asked your ·followers [disciples] to ·force [drive; cast] the evil spirit out, but they couldn’t.”

¹⁹ Jesus answered, “You ·people have no faith [unbelieving/faithless generation]. How long must I stay with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

²⁰ So ·the followers [^Lthey] brought him to Jesus. As soon as the evil spirit saw Jesus, it ·made the boy lose control of himself [threw the boy into convulsions], and he fell down and rolled on the ground, foaming at the mouth.

²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening?”

The father answered, “Since ·he was very young [childhood]. ²² The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to ·kill [destroy] him. If you can do anything for him, please have ·pity [compassion] on us and help us.”

²³ Jesus said to the father, “You said, ‘If you can!’ All things are possible for the one who believes.”

²⁴ Immediately the father cried out, “I do believe! Help ·me to believe more [me not to doubt; me overcome my unbelief; ^Lmy unbelief]!”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he ·ordered [rebuked] the ·evil [defiling; ^Lunclean] spirit, saying, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you to come out of this boy and never enter him again!”

²⁶ The evil spirit screamed and ·caused the boy to fall on the ground again [convulsed him violently]. Then the spirit came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and many people said, “He is dead!” ²⁷ But Jesus took hold of the boy’s hand and helped him to stand up.

²⁸ When Jesus went into the house, his ·followers [disciples] began asking him privately, “Why couldn’t we ·force [drive; cast] that evil spirit out?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can only be forced out by prayer.”^[j]

Jesus Again Talks About His Death^(W)

³⁰ Then Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] left that place and went through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know where he was, ³¹ because he was teaching his ·followers [disciples]. He said to them, “The Son of Man will be ·handed over [delivered over; betrayed] to ·people [^Lhuman hands], and they will kill him [^Cthe “handing over” may be Judas’ betrayal or God’s actions in “giving up” his Son to accomplish salvation; Rom. 4:25]. After three days, he will rise from the dead.” ³² But they did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?^(X)

³³ Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went to Capernaum. When they went into a house there, he asked them, “What were you ·arguing about [discussing] on the road?” ³⁴ But they did not answer, because their ·argument [discussion] on the road was about which one of them was the greatest.

³⁵ Jesus sat down and called ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve] to him. He said, “Whoever wants to be ·the most important [first] must be last of all and servant of all.”

³⁶ Then Jesus took a small child and had ·him [or her; ^Cthe Greek here does not specify gender] stand among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said, ³⁷ “Whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] a child like this in my name [^Cas a representative or follower of Jesus] accepts me. And whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me accepts [not only me, but] the One who sent me.” [^CChildren had low social status, so the saying indicates concern for the lowly.]

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us^(Y)

³⁸ Then John said, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name [^Cinvoking your authority] to ·force [drive; cast] demons out of a person. We told him to stop, because he does not belong to our group.”

³⁹ But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him, because anyone who uses my name to do powerful things will not ·easily [quickly] say evil things about me. ⁴⁰ Whoever is not against us is ·with [for] us. ⁴¹ I tell you the truth, whoever gives you a drink of water because you belong to the ·Christ [Messiah] will ·truly get [^Lcertainly not lose] his reward.

⁴² “If someone causes one of these little children who believes in me to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], it would be better for that person to have a ·large stone [large millstone; ^Lmillstone of a donkey] tied around his neck and be ·drowned [^Lthrown] in the sea. ⁴³ If your hand causes you ·to sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and live forever [^Lto enter life maimed] than to have two hands and go to ·hell [^LGehenna; ^Ca valley outside of Jerusalem where in the OT period children were sacrificed to a pagan god; later used as a burning trash heap; a metaphor for hell], where the fire never goes out. |⁴⁴ In hell the worm does not die; the fire is never put out.|^{[k] 45} If your foot causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and to live forever [^Lto enter life crippled] than to have two feet and be thrown into ·hell [Gehenna; v. 43]. |⁴⁶ In hell the worm does not die; the fire is never put out.|^{[l] 47} If your eye causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], take it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into ·hell [Gehenna; v. 43]. ⁴⁸ In hell the worm does not die; the fire is never put out. ⁴⁹ Every person will be salted with fire. [^CThe meaning of this proverb is uncertain; it may mean that the testing of believers purifies (fire) and preserves (salt); or it may refer to believers as God’s covenant people, since salt and fire were part of the OT sacrificial system; see Lev. 2:3; Num. 18:9.]

⁵⁰ “Salt is good, but if the salt loses its salty taste, you cannot make it salty again. So, ·be full of salt [^Lhave salt in/among yourselves; ^Csalt here may symbolize fellowship within the covenant], and have peace with each other.”

Jesus Teaches About Divorce^(Z)

10 Then Jesus left that place and went into the ·area [region] of Judea and across the Jordan River. Again, crowds came to him, and he taught them as he usually did.

² Some Pharisees came to Jesus and tried to ·trick [test; trap] him. They asked, “Is it ·right [lawful; ^Caccording to the law of Moses] for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ Jesus answered, “What did Moses command you to do?”

⁴ They said, “Moses ·allowed [permitted] a man to write out divorce papers and send her away [Deut. 24:1].”

⁵ Jesus said, “Moses wrote that command for you because you were ·stubborn [hard hearted]. ⁶ But ·when God made the world [from the beginning of creation], ‘he made them male and female’ [Gen. 1:27; 5:2]. ⁷ ‘So a man will leave his father and mother and be ·united with [joined to] his wife,^{[m] 8} and the two will become ·one body [as though they were one person; ^Tone flesh; Gen. 2:24]’. So they are no longer two, but one. ⁹ God has joined the two together, so no one should separate them.”

¹⁰ Later, in the house, his ·followers [disciples] asked Jesus again about ·the question of divorce [^Lthis matter]. ¹¹ He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman ·is guilty of [commits] adultery against her. ¹² And the woman who divorces her husband and marries another man ·is also guilty of [commits] adultery.”

Jesus Accepts Children^(AA)

¹³ Some people brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch them, but his ·followers [disciples] ·told them to stop [scolded/rebuked them]. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was ·upset [angry; indignant] and said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these children [^Cmeaning humble and dependent]. ¹⁵ I tell you the truth, you must accept the kingdom of God as if you were a little child, or you will never enter it.” ¹⁶ Then Jesus took the children in his arms, ·put [laid] his hands on them, and blessed them.

A Rich Young Man’s Question^(AB)

¹⁷ As Jesus started ·to leave [on his way; on a journey], a man ran to him and ·fell on his knees [knelt] before Jesus. The man asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to ·have life forever [^Linherit eternal life]?”

¹⁸ Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? ·Only God is good [No one is good except One—God; ^CJesus is not denying his own divinity, but is challenging the man’s understanding of goodness]. ¹⁹ You know the commands: ‘You must not murder. You must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery. You must not steal. You must not ·tell lies about your neighbor [testify falsely; ^Tbear false witness]. You must not ·cheat [defraud]. Honor your father and mother’ [Ex. 20:12–16; Deut. 5:16–20].”

²⁰ The man said, “Teacher, I have ·obeyed [kept carefully; guarded] all these things since I was a boy.”

²¹ Jesus, looking at the man, loved him and said, “There is one more thing you need to do. Go and sell everything you have, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”

²² He was ·very sad [shocked; appalled] to hear Jesus say this, and he left ·sorrowfully [grieving], because he ·was rich [had many possessions].

²³ Then Jesus looked [around] at his ·followers [disciples] and said, “How hard it will be for ·the rich [those with many possessions] to enter the kingdom of God!”

²⁴ The ·followers [disciples] were ·amazed [astonished] at what Jesus said. [^CIn Judaism wealth was generally viewed as a reward from God.] But he said again, “My children, it is very hard^[n] to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God [^Cmeaning it is impossible, by human effort; see v. 27].”

²⁶ They were even more ·surprised [amazed] and said to each other, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “·For people [Humanly speaking,] this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

²⁸ Peter ·said [spoke up] to Jesus, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”

²⁹ Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, all those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or ·farms [fields] for me and for the ·Good News [Gospel] ³⁰ will get more than they left. Here in ·this world [the present age] they will have a hundred times more homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and ·fields [farms]. And with those things, ·they will also suffer for their belief [persecutions]. But in the ·age [world] that is coming they will have ·life forever [eternal life]. ³¹ Many who are first now will be last in the future. And many who are last now will be first in the future.”

Jesus Talks a Third Time About His Death^(AC)

³² As Jesus and the people with him were on the road to Jerusalem, he was leading the way. His ·followers [disciples] were ·amazed [surprised; puzzled; alarmed], but others in the crowd who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve] aside and began to tell them what was about to happen [to him] in Jerusalem. ³³ He said, “Look, we are going [^Lup] to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be ·turned over [betrayed; delivered over; see 9:31] to the ·leading [^Tchief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. They will ·say that he must die [condemn him to death], and they will turn him over to the ·Gentiles [^Cthe Roman authorities], ³⁴ who will laugh at him and spit on him. They will beat him with whips and ·crucify [^Lkill] him. But after three days, he will rise to life again.”

Two Followers Ask Jesus a Favor^(AD)

³⁵ Then James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want ·to ask you to do something for us [you to do whatever we ask].”

³⁶ Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

³⁷ They answered, “Let one of us sit at your right side and one of us sit at your left side in your glory [^Cthe messianic kingdom].”

³⁸ Jesus said, “You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I must drink? And can you be baptized with the same kind of baptism that I must go through?” [^CBoth “cup” and “baptism” symbolize suffering, and perhaps God’s judgment experienced by Jesus on the cross; Jer. 25:15–29.]

³⁹ They answered, “Yes, we can.”

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the same cup that I will drink, and you will be baptized with the same baptism that I must go through. ⁴⁰ But ·I cannot choose [it is not for me to grant/say] who will sit at my right or my left; those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

⁴¹ When ·the other ten followers [^Lthe ten] heard this, they began to be ·angry [indignant] with James and John.

⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of ·other nations [the Gentiles] love to ·show their power [lord it] over the people, and their ·important leaders [high officials; ^Lgreat ones] love to ·use [exert] their authority [^Lover them]. ⁴³ But it ·should not be [must not be; is not to be] that way among you. [Instead, ^LBut] Whoever wants to become great among you must ·serve the rest of you like a servant [^Lbe your servant]. ⁴⁴ Whoever wants to become the first among you must ·serve all of you like a slave [^Lbe your slave]. ⁴⁵ In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people [Is. 53:12; John 11:49–50].”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man^(AE)

⁴⁶ Then they came to the town of Jericho. As Jesus was leaving there with his ·followers [disciples] and a great many people, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus [which means] son of Timaeus was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus from Nazareth was walking by, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David [^Ca title for the Messiah, a descendant of King David; 2 Sam. 7:11–16], ·have mercy [take pity] on me!”

⁴⁸ Many people ·warned [rebuked; scolded] the blind man to be quiet, but he shouted even more, “Son of David, ·have mercy [take pity] on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Tell the man to come here.”

So they called the blind man, saying, “·Cheer up [Take courage]! Get to your feet. Jesus is calling you.” ⁵⁰ The blind man jumped up, ·left his coat there [threw off his cloak], and went to Jesus.

⁵¹ Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man answered, “·Teacher [^LRabbouni], I want to see.”

⁵² Jesus said, “Go, ·you are healed because you believed [your faith has healed you].” At once the man could see, and he followed Jesus on the road.

Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a King^(AF)

11 As Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] were coming closer to Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus sent two of his ·followers [disciples] ² and said to them, “Go to the town ·you can see there [ahead of you; or opposite you ^Ceither Bethphage, Bethany, or another village]. When you enter it, you will ·quickly [immediately] find a ·colt [young donkey] tied, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here to me. ³ If anyone asks you why you are doing this, tell him ·its Master [the Lord; or its Owner] needs the colt and ·he will send it at once [or he will return it soon; ^C“he” could be either Jesus or the colt’s owner].”

⁴ They went into the town, found a colt tied in the street near the door of a house, and untied it. ⁵ Some people were standing there and asked, “What are you doing? Why are you untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered the way Jesus told them to answer, and the people let them take the colt.

⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and Jesus sat on it [Zech. 9:9]. ⁸ Many people spread their coats on the road. Others cut [leafy] branches in the fields and spread them on the road. ⁹ The people were walking ahead of Jesus and behind him, shouting,

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After he had looked [around] at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve].

¹² The next day as Jesus was leaving Bethany, he became hungry. ¹³ Seeing a fig tree in leaf from far away, he went to see if it had any figs on it. But he found no figs, only leaves, because it was not the right season for figs. ¹⁴ So Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] heard him say this.

Jesus Goes to the Temple^(AG)

¹⁵ When Jesus ·returned [came] to Jerusalem, he went into the ·Temple [temple complex; ^Cthe large temple area, not the inner building where only the priests could go] and began to ·throw [drive] out those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of ·those who were exchanging different kinds of money [^L the moneychangers], and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves [or pigeons; ^Cmoneychangers provided particular coins for the temple tax; doves or pigeons were sold for sacrifices; Lev. 5:7]. ¹⁶ Jesus refused to allow anyone to carry goods through the Temple courts. ¹⁷ Then he taught the people, saying, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My ·Temple [^LHouse] will be called a house for prayer for people from all nations’ [Is. 56:7]. But you ·are changing God’s house [^Lhave made it] into a ·‘hideout for robbers’ [^Tden of thieves’; Jer. 7:11].”

¹⁸ The ·leading [^Tchief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] heard all this and began trying to find a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because all the people were amazed at his teaching. ¹⁹ That evening, Jesus and his ·followers^[o] [disciples] left the city.

The Power of Faith^(AH)

²⁰ The next morning as Jesus was passing by with his ·followers [disciples], they saw the fig tree ·dry and dead [withered], even to the roots. ²¹ Peter ·remembered the tree and said to Jesus, “·Teacher [^LRabbi], look! The fig tree you cursed is ·dry and dead [withered]!”

²² Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. ²³ I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘·Go [Be lifted up], fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your ·mind [heart] and believe that what you say will happen, ·God will do it for you [it will be done for you]. ²⁴ So I tell you to believe that you have received ·the things [everything] you ask for in prayer, and ·God will give them to you [you will receive them]. ²⁵ When you ·are praying [^Lstand praying], if you ·are angry with [have anything against] someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your ·sins [transgressions; trespasses]. |²⁶ But if you don’t forgive other people, then your Father in heaven will not forgive your ·sins [transgressions; trespasses].|”^[p]

Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority^(AI)

²⁷ Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went again to Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple [complex; area; courts; see 11:15], the ·leading [^Tchief] priests, the ·teachers of the law [scribes], and the elders came to him. ²⁸ They said to him, “What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “I will ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. ³⁰ Tell me: When John baptized people, was that authority from ·God [^Lheaven; ^Ca reverential Jewish way of referring to God] or just from ·other people [human beings]?”

³¹ They argued about Jesus’ question, saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from ·God [^Lheaven],’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘It was from ·other people [human beings],’ the crowd will be against us.” (These leaders were afraid of the people, because all the people believed that John was a prophet.)

³³ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said to them, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.”

The Story of the Evil Farmers^(AJ)

12 [Then] Jesus began ·to use stories to teach the people [^Lto speak to them in parables; see 3:23]. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a ·hole [vat; pit] for a winepress and built a tower [^Cto protect against thieves; see Is. 5:1–7 for the background to this parable]. Then he leased the land to some [^Ctenant] farmers and left for a trip [^Cthe owner represents God, the farmers are Israel’s religious leaders]. ² When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent a ·servant [slave] to the farmers to get his share of the grapes. ³ But the farmers grabbed ·the servant [^Lhim] and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Then the man sent another ·servant [slave]. They ·hit [beat] him on the head and ·showed no respect for [humiliated; dishonored] him. ⁵ So the man sent another, whom they killed. The man sent many others; the farmers beat some of them and killed others [^Cthe servants represent the prophets God sent to Israel].

⁶ “The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved [^Crepresenting Jesus; see 1:11; 9:7]. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷ “But the farmers said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹ “So what will the ·owner [lord] of the vineyard do? He will come and ·kill [destroy] those farmers and will give the vineyard to ·other farmers [^Lothers; ^Creferring to the sinners who were responding to Jesus’ call for repentance, and eventually to the Gentiles who would be saved]. ¹⁰ ·Surely you have read [^LHave you never read…?] this Scripture:

¹² The Jewish leaders knew that the ·story [parable] was about them. So they ·wanted to find a way [were seeking/trying] to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the people. So the leaders left him and went away.

Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not?^(AK)

¹³ Later, the Jewish leaders sent some Pharisees and Herodians [^Ca political group that supported king Herod and his family; 3:6] to Jesus to ·trap [catch] him in saying something wrong. ¹⁴ They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are ·an honest man [true; honest; sincere]. You are not ·afraid of [concerned about] what other people think about you, because you ·pay no attention to who they are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances]. And you teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way. Tell us: Is it ·right [permissible; lawful] to pay taxes to Caesar or not? ¹⁵ Should we pay them, or not?” [^CSaying “yes” would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying “no” could result in being charged with insurrection.]

But knowing ·what these men were really trying to do [^Ltheir hypocrisy], Jesus said to them, “Why are you ·trying to trap [testing] me? Bring me a ·coin [^Ldenarius; ^Ca Roman coin worth a day’s wages] to look at.” ¹⁶ They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, “Whose ·image [likeness; portrait] and ·name [inscription] are on the coin?”

They answered, “Caesar’s.” [^CIronically, the religious leaders carry coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.]

¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “·Give [^TRender] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.” They were amazed at what Jesus said.

Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus^(AL)

¹⁸ Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.) ¹⁹ They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and ·have children [^Lraise up offspring/seed] for his brother [Deut. 25:5]. ²⁰ Once there were seven brothers. The first brother ·married [^Ltook a wife] and died, leaving no children. ²¹ So the second brother married the widow, but he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. ²² All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too. ²³ Since all seven brothers had married her, ·when people rise from the dead [^Lat the resurrection], whose wife will she be?”

²⁴ Jesus answered, “·You are mistaken [^LAre you not mistaken/in error…?] because you don’t know what the Scriptures say, and don’t you know about the power of God. ²⁵ [^LFor] When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. ²⁶ ·Surely you have read [^LHave you not read…?] what God said about people rising from the dead. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush [Ex. 3:1–12], it says that God told Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob [Ex. 3:6; ^CGod is still the God of the patriarchs, so they must have a continued existence after death].’ ²⁷ God is the God of the living, not the dead. You Sadducees are ·wrong [greatly deceived; badly mistaken]!”

The Most Important Command^(AM)

²⁸ One of the ·teachers of the law [scribes] came and heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees. Seeing that Jesus gave good answers to their questions, he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘·Listen, people of Israel [^THear, O Israel]! The Lord our God is ·the only Lord [one Lord]. ³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength’ [Deut. 6:4–5; ^Cthese are the opening words of the Shema, the prayer said by pious Jews twice a day]. ³¹ The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself’ [Lev. 19:18]. There are no commands ·more important [greater] than these.”

³² The man answered, “·That was a good answer [Well said!], Teacher. You were right when you said God is ·the only Lord [one] and there is no other God besides him. ³³ One must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And one must love his neighbor as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the ·animals [burnt offerings] and sacrifices we offer to God [1 Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6–8].”

³⁴ When Jesus saw that the man answered him ·wisely [thoughtfully; with insight], Jesus said to him, “You are close to the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one ·was brave enough [dared] to ask Jesus any more questions.

The Question About David’s Son^(AN)

³⁵ As Jesus was teaching in the Temple [courts; complex], he asked, “Why do the ·teachers of the law [scribes] say that the ·Christ [Messiah] is the ·son [descendant] of David [^Csee 2 Sam. 7:12]? ³⁶ David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, said:

³⁷ David himself calls ·the Christ [the Messiah; ^Lhim] ‘Lord,’ so how can ·the Christ [the Messiah; ^Lhe] be his son?” The large crowd listened to Jesus with pleasure.

³⁸ Jesus continued teaching and said, “Beware of the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. They like to walk around ·wearing fancy clothes [in long robes], and they love for people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces. ³⁹ They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues and at ·feasts [banquets]. ⁴⁰ But they ·cheat widows and steal their houses [^Ldevour widows’ homes] and then try to make themselves look good by saying long prayers [in public]. They will receive a greater ·punishment [judgment; condemnation].”

True Giving^(AO)

⁴¹ Jesus sat near the Temple ·money box [offering chest; or treasury] and watched the people put in their money. Many rich people gave large sums of money. ⁴² Then a poor widow came and put in ·two small copper coins [^Ltwo lepta], ·which were only worth a few cents [^Lwhich is a quadrans; ^Ca Roman coin worth 1/64 of a denarius, or about 10 minutes of work for a day laborer].

⁴³ Calling his ·followers [disciples] to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow gave more than all those rich people. ⁴⁴ They gave ·only what they did not need [out of their surplus/abundance]. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had—everything she had to live on.”